Bookcase, &amp;c.



WTPESSl-:S:

Patented Mar. 27, 1900.

F. E. ALLEN.

BooKcAsE; am.

(Applicatio led Dec. 7, l1899.)

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AAfrEN'r FREDERICK E. ALLEN, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE- HALF TO FRANK E. H. GARY, OF SAME PLACE.

' BooKCAsE, aber.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N o. 646,200, dated March 27, 1900;

Application filed December 7, 1899. Serial No. 739,488. (No model.)

To a/ZZ whom t may concern,.-

JBe it known that I, FREDERICK E. ALLEN, of Boston, in the county of-Suft'olk and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Bookcases, the., of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates particularly to bookcases or bookcase-sections having a movable front or slide which is the equivalent of a door and is adapted to swing upwardly from a vertical position at the front of the case to a substantially-horizontal position at the upper portion of the case and to slide horizontally in and out above the contents of the case.

The invention has for its object to provide improved means for connecting the case and the movable front or slide in such manner that the said swinging and sliding movements may be effected with the minimum of frictional resistance and withoutliability of the sticking or binding of the slide while it is being moved. 4

Theinvention consists in the improvements which I will now proceed to describe and claim.

Of the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this speciiication, Figure l represents a front elevation of a bookcase or bookcasesection embodying my-invention, the door or slide being closed. Fig. 2 represents an end elevation showing the door or slide in its closed position by dotted lines. Fig. 3 represents an end elevation showing the door or slide in its open position and pushed back into the casing. Fig. 4. represents a section on line 4. of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 represents a section on line 5 5 of Fig. 3. Fig. 6 represents a view similar to Fig. 3, showing the door or slide between its horizontal and vertical positions. Fig. 7 represents a sectional view of the casing looking toward one end thereof, the door or slide being removed. Fig. 8 represents a section on line 8 S of Fig. 7. Fig. 9 represents a perspective view showing one corner of the door or slide. Fig. 10 represents a section on line 10 10, Fig. 9.

The same letters and numerals of reference indicate the same parts in all the views.

In the drawings, a ct represent the end pieces of a bookcase-section or unit, which is here shown as of suitable form to be assembled with other sections to form a bookcase cottiposed of a tier or series of tiers of sections. It may be here stated, however, that my improvement hereinafter described is not limited to use in a bookcase-section or unit, but may be applied to casings of any other desired form and used in connection with a sliding part and a iixed casing for any purpose t'o which the invention may be found applicable.

b represents the door or slide, which is formed to iill the space between the end pieces a a and between the top and bottom pieces of the casing when in a vertical position, as shown in Figs. l and 2, the door or slide b being adapted to swing outwardly from its ve'r'- tical position, as indicated in Fig. 6, and to be moved horizontally into the upper part of the casing, above the contents thereof, as indicated in Fig. 3.

In carrying out my inventionI provide antifriction coupling devices connecting the door or slide b with the casing, said devices having provisions for permitting the swinging and sliding movements of the door and for supportingit in a horizontal position without liability of the sticking or binding of the door during any part of its movement. The said antifriction coupling or connecting devices comprisetwo substantially-horizontalgrooves 2 2, formed in the end pieces a a of the casing, near the upper portion thereof, and balls 3 3, carried by and projecting from the end of the door or slide b and projecting into said grooves, ,the said balls being contained in hemispherical cavities 6 in the ends of the door b. 'The outer ends 7 of the grooves 2 constitute stops against which the balls 3 abut when the door reaches the outer end of its horizontal movement, the said ends or stops 7 and the balls 3 constituting complemental antifriction hinge members when the balls come in contact with the stops, which permit the door or slide to swing freely from its horizontal to its vertical position, and vice versa. The said coupling or connecting devices also include grooves 8,-formed longitudinally in the ends of the door'b, and balls 9, carried by and projecting inwardly from the inner surfaces of the side pieces ct a of the casing and entering the grooves 8, the side pieces being provided with hemispherical cavities 10, which conine the .balls 9. The balls 9 are located below the casing-grooves 2 and behind the stops or hinge members 7, at the outer ends of said grooves, as shown in Fig. 7, the grooves 8 being correspondingly arranged, as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 2, 'so that when the door Z) is in its vertical closed position the balls 3, carried by the door, bear against the stops or hinge members 7 and are located above and forward of the balls 9, so that a line connecting the centers of said balls would stand at an angle of about fortyve degrees. When the lower edge of the door is swung outwardly, the portions of the grooves 8 that are in contact with the casingrolls move slightly downward 011 the balls 9, the door swinging on the balls 3. When the swinging movement of the door brings it to a horizontal position,the door is free to slide inwardly, the balls 3 of the door being in rolling contact with the walls of the grooves 2 of the casing, while the walls of the grooves 8 of the door are in` rolling contact with the balls 9 of the casing. As the door slides inwardly the balls pass over and rearwardly from the balls 9, so that when the door reaches the inner end of its horizontal movement the balls stand in the relative positions shown in Fig. 3 and aord adequate support to maintain the dooi` in its horizontal position. When the door is being closed, it isv moved horizontally outward until the balls 3 pass over and outside of the balls 9 and abut against the stops or hinge members 7. The door is then free to swing downwardly, the portions of the grooves 8 in contact with the balls 9 sliding upwardly on said balls during the downward movement.

It will be seen that the balls and grooves, arranged as shown, provide for very smooth and easy movement of the door or slide and prevent any possibility of the door sticking or binding while it is being moved, the balls and grooves cooperating both as side and end thrust bearings-that is to say, they support both sidewise and endwise pressure exerted on the slide. The endthrust bearings enable the slide to be moved easily by pressure applied at or near one end, whereas without the end-thrust bearings the slide would be liable to bind if pushed or pulled from a point at one side of its mid-length. My invention is distinguished in this respect from slides which are su pported by rolls against sidewise pressure only, side thrust or pressure bearings being unable to prevent binding or sticking from cndwiso thrust or pressure.

The top piece a of the casing has a downwardly-projecting shoulder n?, which abuts against the upper portion of the door or slide b when the latter is closed and forms a dustexcludingjoint therewith. The bottom piece d3 of the casing is also preferably provided with a shoulder a4, which abuts against the lower portion of the innersurface of the door and forms a dust-excluding joint therewith. The lower portion of the door is preferably provided with handles b b', by which it may be conveniently manipulated.

It is obvious that the above-described improvements may be applied to casings and drawers movable therein, the drawer taking the place of the slide or door Z') and being provided with the balls 3 and grooves 8.

I desire it understood that the terms vertical and horizontal as used herein and in the following claims are used relatively and are intended t0 indicate that the slide may occupy two positions, one of which is substantially at right angles to the other-that is to say, any structure in which a slide or door stands in a given operative position when closed and is capable of swinging on one edge from said position to an inoperative position substantially at right angles to the operative position and is movable when in its inoperative position to and from its retracted position will be no departure from the spirit of my invention.

When the invention is embodied in a slide such as a drawer, which does not require a swinging movement, and a casing in which the slide is movable, the grooves in the two' parts will not necessarily be out of alinement with each other, the balls and grooves guiding the slide in a rectilinear direction without serving as hinge members.

I claim-MV 1. A casing, a slide movable therein, and antifrictional coupling members connecting said parts and comprising grooves formed in opposed surfaces of said parts, and balls projecting from each part into grooves in the otherpart, said balls and grooves coperating both as side and end thrust bearings.

2. A casing, a slide movable therein and having grooves in its ends, substantially-horizontal grooves in the casing, the outer ends of the grooves constituting hinge members, balls carried by and projecting from the ends of the slide and entering said grooves, the balls cooperating as hinge members with the outer ends of the grooves when the slide isat the forward end of its horizontal movement, and balls journaled in the casing and entering the grooves in the slide, the casing'balls, and the slide-grooves constituting antifrictional means for preventing the slide from swinging when the slide-balls are separated from the outer ends of the casing-grooves, said balls and grooves cooperating both as side and end thrust bearings.

3. A casing, a slide movable therein, `substantiallyhorizontal grooves in the casing, their outer en ds constituting hinge members, slide-balls carried by and projecting from the ends of the slide and entering said grooves, the slide-balls cooperating as hinge members with the out-er ends of the grooves when the' slide isat the forward end of its movement, casing-balls supported by and projecting inwardly from the ends of the easing, said casing-balls being below and back from the alinement with said grooves, combined with hinge member ends of the casing-grooves, a slide having grooves arranged to engage the and grooves in the ends of the slide receiving balls on the easing, and balls arranged to enthe said easing-balls, the slide-grooves and gage the grooves in the casing, substantially 15 5 casing-balls cooperating with each other and as described.

with the oasinggrooves and slide balls in ln testimony whereof Ihave affixed my sigsupporting the slide horizontally, the series nature in presence of two Witnesses.

of balls and grooves constituting antifrio- FREDERICK E. ALLEN. tional side and end thrust bearings. Witnesses: 19 4. A casing having substantiallyhorizon C. F. BROWN,

tal guide-grooves, and balls arranged out of l A. D. HARRISON. 

